Improved washing-machine



UNITED STATES l PATENT OFFICE.A

WILLIAM BEATON, OF GRINNELL, IOWA.

IMPROVED WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 4 8,894, dated .Iuly25, 1865.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BEA'roN, of Grinnell,in the county ofPoweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented a new and ImprovedClothes-Washing Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable othersskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication, in whichlFigure 1, Sheet No. l, is a side View of my invention; Fig. 2, a plan ortop view of the same; Fig. 3, Sheet No. 2, a side view of the sameopposite to the side shown in Fig. 1; Fig.

4, a longitudinal verticalsection of the same, taken in the line .e x,Fig. 2.

This invention consists in applying the power of a spring or a weight toa reciprocating rubber ota clothes-washing machinein such amanner thatclothes may be washed without the employment of manual labor.

A represents a suds-box, which may be of rectangular form and providedwith an inclined, corrugated, or uted bottom board, ax, over which acorrugated or iiuted reciprocating rubber, B, works, the latter having apivoted bar, C, pressed upon its upper surface at each end by springs D.(See Figs. 2 and 4.) The rubber B is operated byapitman, E, which isattached to a crank, F, on a shaft, G, and this shaft has a pinion, H,at one end of it, which gears into a large wheel, 1, at one end of ashaft, J, which has its bearings attached to the outer side of a case,K, which adjoins the suds-box A. The opposite end of the shaft J has apinion, L, upon it, which gears into a wheel, M, placed loosely on ashaft, N, the latter having a rachet, O, keyed firmly upon it, withwhich a pawl, P, attached to the wheel M, engages. (See Figs. l and 2.)

The caseK is divided into two compartments, a b, by a verticalpartition, c, and the shaft N passes into the compartment a and has oneor more coil-springs, Q,connected with it, two springs being shown inFig. 2. The inner ends of these springsare attached to the shaft N, theouter ends being secured toa rod, d,at the bottom of the compartment a.(See Figs. 2 and 4.) The compartment b has an inclined corrugated bottomboard, e, and this compartment adjoins the suds-box A, as shown clearlyin Fig. 2.

On the shaft J, near the wheel I, there is tirmlykeyed a ratchet orescape wheel, R, with which two pallets, S S, engage, the latter havinga pendulum, T, connected to it, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

The gearing above described, it will be seen, is on the same principleas that of a clock, the pallets S S, pendulum T, and escape-wheel Rcontrolling the power of the springs.

The springs Q are wound up by a crank applied to the outer end of theshaft N.

The machine maybe stopped at any time or prevented from running by meansof a button, U, at one end of the case K,said but-ton being turnedagainst the pendulum-rod, as shown in Fig. 3.

rIhe clothes are operated upon by the rubber B, the former being on thebottom board, a", of the suds-box A.

The compartment bof the case K is designed to receive clothes from awringer attached to one side of the top of b, between it and thesuds-box A, the clothes passingfrom A through the wringer into b.

The wrin ger may be operated from the wheel I.

By this arrangement clothes may be washed without manual labor, and thework performed equally as well as it can be done by hand.

The device is not at all complicated, and it may be manufactured at amoderate cost.

It will of course be seen that the gravity of a weight may be made toact upon the shaft N instead ot the springs, as shown.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combinationof the reciprocating rubber B, presser-bar C, springs D, pitman E,crankshaft F G, gearing H I L M, shafts J N, spring Q, and escapement BS T, all constructed, ar ranged, and operating as and for the purposesspecified.

WILLIAM BEATON.

Witnesses:

CHAs. H. SPENCER, RICHARD WHITNEY.

